Concordia-St. Paul vs Buena Vista University

Concordia University-Saint Paul and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Concordia, a private Christian university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (85%) compared to Buena Vista's 75%. Concordia's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population. Buena Vista, on the other hand, has a higher graduation rate (63%) than Concordia's 58%. While Concordia excels in nursing, education, and business programs, Buena Vista shines in exercise science, biology, and psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Concordia University-Saint Paul
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	61.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	67.9%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	2,485
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	1,687
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	288
Yield rate	20.5%	17.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$53,162	$37,500
Average net price	$18,532	$15,944
Tuition	$37,518	$23,900
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	$9,900
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $15,827
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	68.0% Average amount $5,194
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	8.0% Average amount $11,309

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	3,357 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	2,188 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	0.5%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	836	500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Texas Nebraska Minnesota Arizona	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	52.8%
Dropout rate	36.8%	23.1%
Transferred out	N/A	24.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,501 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,003 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,278 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $52,709 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,249 Year 2: $45,455 Year 3: $48,387 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,936 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,768 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,901 Year 2: $47,494 Year 3: $46,501 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,530 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $45,327 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,042 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $45,181 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,301 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,742 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,198 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $43,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,262 Year 2: $37,819 Year 3: $37,074	Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $75,244 Year 2: $79,688 Year 3: $91,284 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,521 Year 2: $75,795 Year 3: $88,421 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,006 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $69,695 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,294 Year 2: $56,054 Year 3: $60,702 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,996 Year 2: $54,524 Year 3: $60,383 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,676 Year 2: $54,578 Year 3: $58,967 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,999 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $54,346 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,948 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $53,651 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,642 Year 2: $45,618 Year 3: $50,676 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,329 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $49,692

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